6 easy exercises you can do while on vacation

Summer vacation time is your well-deserved break, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay in shape while you relax!
So here are some SUPER EASY moves to keep you toned while you holiday 🙂

1. Sand-passing exercise to trim your waist

Lie down on your beach towel and bend your knees, feet flat on the ground. Raise your upper body about 45 degrees; fill a bucket or bowl with sand from the right side of you, and holding it with both hands, pass it over your body and empty it on the left. Refill it immediately and bring it back to empty on the right side. Do 3 sets of 10 movements.

2. Reverse triceps to sculpt the back of your arms

Stand straight with your back facing your choice of support – the seat of a park bench, a large boulder, or any object at an appropriate height. Place your hands behind you on the support, hip-distance apart. Walk your legs forward until they are at a 90-degree angle. Keeping your back straight, use the force in your triceps to lower your body until your bum is just below knee level – do not let your body drop too far. Slowly lift your body back up to its original position, controlling the triceps muscle as you do so. Do not bounce, try and maintain full control throughout. Repeat 25 times, then rest for 1 minute and do another 25.

3. The Hindu Prayer move to tone your arms

Kneel down, sitting on your heels. Lean your upper body forward so that your tummy and bust are resting on your thighs, and stretch out your arms in front of you, shoulder-width apart. Without moving your bust, gather sand with your arms and hands as if you wanted to build a sandcastle. Return to starting position while inhaling, and then repeat. Do 3 sets of 2 movements, with 1 minute rest between each set. Throughout, make sure to keep your abs contracted, your head aligned with your spine, and do not lift your butt off your heels.

4. Windshield-wiper move to tone your saddlebags

Lie down on the sand and flex your legs. Place your hands under your lower back for support, palms down, fingers towards your bum. Like windshield wipers, open your legs, pushing the sand away from you, and then return to starting position by bringing your legs together and pushing the sand back to the middle. Inhale when you open, and exhale when you bring your legs together to close. Do 3 sets of 20 movements, with 1 minute rest between each set. Be careful to keep your back straight and use as much sand as possible in order to increase resistance, and thus the difficulty of the exercise.

5. Standing Stork routine to tone your abdominal belt

Find a surface that is not completely flat in order to help challenge you in working on your balance. Stand with your back straight, arms alongside your body, your right foot firmly planted on the ground and your left foot up, sole down on your right knee for support. Immediately stretch your left leg out in front of you, and raise it as high as possible like a dancer, all the while keeping your arms at your sides. Hold this position for 3 seconds. Open the hip to move your extended left leg out to the side of you, as high as possible. At this point stretch your arms out to help you stay balanced. Hold this position for 3 seconds. Finally, move your left leg backwards by tilting your bust and head forward and extending your arms straight in front of you to form a perfect leg-bust-head-arm alignment. Hold for 3 seconds, and then return to starting position. Perform this entire routine 3 times with up to 1 minute of rest between each time. Be sure to work on both your right and left legs, and focus on using your abdominal muscles to keep you centered and maintain balance.

6. Standing push-ups to strengthen your arms

Stand facing a tree, close enough to touch it with your arms straight out at eye level. Place your palms on the wall and bend your arms at the elbows so that you’re leaning forward. Do 20 standing push-ups by straightening your forearms to push your body back from the tree. Push back from the tree harder each time, moving slowly and maintaining control. Do 3 sets of 20.